Washington, D.C. - Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), a leading non-profit organization that mobilizes legal support for asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border and throughout the country, vehemently opposes the Senate supplemental funding bill that would violate the due process rights of asylum seekers, exacerbate humanitarian conditions on the border, and dangerously restrict access to the asylum system in the United States. These immigration proposals, which are part of a deal tied to foreign military funding, threaten to deny the freedom, protection, and lives of countless immigrants while expanding deportations.
These proposed legislative changes include the following harmful provisions:
A new Title 42-like expulsion authority, mandating that asylum seekers be turned away from our borders and barred from commencing an asylum claim based on border “trigger numbers,” or quotas
Dismantling of due process for asylum seekers via a new fast-tracked system for asylum processing at the border, under surveillance and with no judicial review
Heightened standards and new bars to eligibility at threshold asylum screenings, which will cause passage rates to plummet and return legitimate asylum seekers to life-threatening situations
Priscilla Orta, Supervising Director of Project Corazon at Lawyers for Good Government, states, “Removing judicial review and the ability to appeal from asylum decisions is a grave violation of due process rights for a proceeding that has the highest possible stakes - life or death. This is just one of many threats to the fundamental principles of human rights present in the Senate supplemental funding bill, which will certainly disproportionately endanger the lives of Black, Indigenous, LGBTQI+, women, and children asylum seekers. These measures are not about enhancing border security but about closing our doors to those in dire need of sanctuary."
Estuardo Cifuentes, a Guatemalan asylum seeker and Client Manager of Lawyers for Good Government’s Project Corazon, further emphasizes, “The proposed legislation is a step in the wrong direction and instead marks a disturbing escalation beyond even what we saw under the Trump Administration. We must remember these policies will impact real people fleeing persecution and danger, people in extremely vulnerable conditions who have stories, dreams, and the fundamental right to seeking safety. As a nation, we have the power and responsibility to offer more than just shelter. Any immigration reform should align with our deepest values and our long-term commitment to justice and humanity.”
Nearly 200 organizations, along with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and multiple Senators, have raised alarms about these proposals. They stand in solidarity with L4GG in urging Congress and the White House to reject these inhumane measures that compromise the very essence of the U.S. asylum system.
Priscilla Orta concludes, "We call on Majority Leader Schumer, President Biden, and Congress to stand firmly against these efforts to end asylum in the supplemental funding bill and instead uphold our moral duty to protect refugees and asylum seekers.”
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Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) coordinates large-scale pro bono programs and issue advocacy efforts to protect human rights, defend the environment, and ensure equal justice under the law, and has a network of 125,000+ lawyers to assist in its efforts.
